While shorter showers and not letting the shower water run are encouraged in at least one article on the U.S. Department of Energy’s own website, and the U.S. EPA has its own long-standing and successful WaterSense label program to reward showerhead water efficiency, President Trump believes the time is now to get less showerhead efficient.
Following numerous public complaints from the president about low-flow fixtures designed to save water, the Department of Energy has proposed to change the definition of a showerhead. In the new proposal, different components within a showerhead would be allowed to count as individual showerheads. This would allow some showerheads to easily sidestep requirements that allow no more than 2.5 gallons to flow through per minute. (WaterSense labeled showerheads use no more than 2.0 gallons per minute.)
Of course, reaction was swift to the proposal with many stating that consumers are fine with the flow of water that showerheads currently provide. In fact, our industry’s suppliers have spent millions of dollars and countless hours providing superior, water-saving shower experiences for travelers. These showerheads save huge amounts of money, energy, and provide relief to drought-stricken areas of the country. (Check out the current United States Drought Monitor and you will see many areas in the West currently in moderate, severe, and extreme drought.)
Gimmick in Search of a Problem
In an article on The Hill, Andrew deLaski, Executive Director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, said, “The new plan is a gimmick in search of a problem.”
“The DOE’s new proposal could violate ‘anti-backsliding’ provisions put in place in the 1992 law when Congress established the 2.5 gallon standard,” The Hill said.
DeLaski said he suspects the DOE will be challenged on the rule if it is finalized, with environmental groups working to demonstrate the climate change impacts of the decision.
The president has also complained in the past about water-saving standards around sinks and toilets. In December, for example, he described a titanic struggle to flush a toilet, without providing specifics. “People are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once,” Trump claimed during a meeting with small business leaders at the White House.
Maybe the President should focus on the real problem at hand—the pandemic—and not his hair?
I trust you all will not be running out to get less-efficient showerheads anytime soon—even folks who work at Trump Hotels. Keep up your conservation work and ignore such nonsensical suggestions.
Online Course Offered: Champions for Climate Friendly Travel
SUNx Malta is launching an online diploma course to train young people to be Champions for Climate Friendly Travel, helping to support change in companies and communities. The training program has been developed with Malta’s Institute of Tourism Studies, runs for 12 months, and is taught by some 25 of the world’s thought leaders on Climate Change and Sustainable Tourism. As an online course, it has been designed to fit with existing roles, and strengthen organizational capacity. Do you have budding Greta Thunberg’s within your organization? If so, registering them for this climate friendly travel course will inject new enthusiasm into your teams and support career development. It will also help keep you in line with evolving government Green Deal regulation and strengthen your CSR strategy. The inaugural course starts in October 2020. Full details and registration can be found here. If you have any questions, contact here.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in the Green Suppliers Spotlight!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 19,878 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each month, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
Planning Advertising for 2020?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2020. Many excellent spots are available on our new website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2020 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 19,878. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,795 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 980 Facebook likes.
As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
